The present invention relates to a spacer element for a fuel cell stack that in the assembled state of the fuel cell stack lies adjacent to a first structural part of a fuel cell unit of the fuel cell stack and to a second structural part of a fuel cell unit of the fuel cell stack and holds the first structural part and the second structural part apart from one another, wherein the spacer element comprises a support wall with an inner side and an outer side and at least one gas through-channel penetrating the support wall from the inner side to the outer side and wherein the spacer element comprises at least two material layers, which are stacked one on top of the other along a stacking direction.
Such spacer elements for a fuel cell stack are known from EP 1 278 258 A2.
The spacer elements known from EP 1 278 258 A2 are formed in each case from a substantially flat spacer element blank, which comprises annular carrier elements and lugs projecting in radial direction from the annular carrier elements. To form the spacer element from this spacer element blank, the radially projecting lugs are folded onto the respective associated carrier element, and then the carrier elements with the lugs folded thereon are folded one on top of the other in such a way that in the finished folded spacer element material layers comprising only an annular carrier element alternate with material layers comprising only folded-back lugs, wherein between the lugs gas through-channels penetrating a support wall of the spacer element from its inner side to its outer side are formed.
The spacer elements disclosed in EP 1 278 258 A2 perform the desired function but their manufacture entails a large number of folding operations.
The underlying object of the present invention is to provide a spacer element of the initially described type, which is easy and quick to manufacture.